Athletic Bilbao - Struggles At The San Mamés

Athletic Bilbao, or Athletic Club to use their proper name, are well known for their tradition of sticking with local born and bred players in the Basque region of Spain (the northeast) and parts of France (the southwest), meaning they only sign players from those regions and nowhere else. This tendency to lean towards these small areas means that the pool of players they have to choose from is significantly lower than other teams - yet they still ply their trade in the Spanish top division and even in European competitions. The bond between the players themselves and the environment they play and grow up in creates a homely atmosphere, making it an incredibly difficult club to leave and one of the neutrals or 'peoples' clubs in Spain for their dedication to homegrown talent.

Athletic Bilbao drew a lot of praise for their outstanding style of possession, attacking and winning football on the way to the Europa League final last season. After beating Champions League drop-outs and European heavyweights Manchester United in the second knockout round, the Basque club went on to beat Schalke and Sporting Lisbon before eventually losing 3-0 to their Spanish contingents Atletico Madrid in the final. A number of players impressed for them on this run, such as Javi Martinez, Iker Muniain, Oscar De Marcos, Fernando Llorente, Andrea Iraola, Ander Herrera, Susaeta, Fernando Amorebieta - in fact the list goes on, all of them did.

Is Football The Most Competitive It’s Ever Been?

In the late hours of the morning on the 20^th December in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League was made. After the normal long drawn out proceedings, as is the way of modern football organisations, football legends of the past drew from the pot a set of ties which left fans around the world drooling with excitement.

The emergence of the Sky era since the 1990’s has led to a huge growth in the economic size of the beautiful game, making it an even more global brand with the potential to dictate the economies of areas around the world. The lure of the biggest and most famous clubs has increased by a huge standard, and these teams are followed and supported from not just all around the country, but all the corners of the world. As a result the growth of the game has led to a higher development of facilities and therefore players – hence creating a rise in the standard of the game. With the sheer amount of money involved and the huge quality on show on a regular basis, the top standard of European club competition has, in many people’s opinions, taken over from the World Cup as the pinnacle of the sport – and with this draw, there is nothing to suggest against this.

The Enigma that is Mario Balotelli - Is His Time Up In England?

Mario Balotelli. Love him or hate him, that is all you need to say.

After news emerged that Man City were deciding to fine him £340,000 (or two weeks wages) for his disciplinary record last season, the rumour mill took full speed – again linking him with a move away from England and most likely back to Italy and the Rossoneri of AC Milan. After missing 11 games out of 54 last year, it is clear that Balotelli cannot be depended on.

A Journey Back To The Dark Days?

The Manchester derby between United and City took an unfortunate end to it. At the end of a thrilling game of football filled with excitement for the 50,000 odd fans in the stadium and the millions watching on TV, Robin Van Persie struck with a free kick in the dying seconds which silenced all but one small corner of the Etihad. The United players ran over to their travelling support and celebrated with their fans. A win in a local derby against their biggest title rivals – a moment to treasure. But as I said, it took an unfortunate end to it.

Somebody in the home crowd decided to throw a coin at defender Rio Ferdinand, despite him doing nothing to entice or anger these fans – other than doing his job, helping to get his team 3 points and showing how happy he was. This 2p coin almost cost him his eyesight, causing a flow of blood just above his eye. He was lucky not to have been injured more seriously and later laughed it off on the social networking site Twitter. However, still – it shouldn't have ended like this.